Riverwood Urban Renewal

The award-winning Riverwood Urban Renewal saw BROOKS working alongside the NSW Land and Housing Corporation, PAYCE, and the St George Community Housing, Riverwood Community Centre on this successful Public Private Partnership.

The BROOKS team was tasked with finding opportunities to resolve several social challenges the community faced, such as social isolation and access to support.

BROOKS developed a strategic community engagement plan that detailed how engagement strategies and programs would resolve a variety of social, economic, and cultural challenges in the community. The strategies were informed by many formal and informal group meetings, as well as focus groups and research surveys.

We managed and coordinated various grassroots place-making activities to bring an organic sense of connection and community; this includes the weekly Friday BBQ that has been running for over 10 years.

We also established a community advisory committee and local Not-For-Profit, Resident’s Organisation At Riverwood (ROAR), to ensure the sustainability of community connection. The Organisation grew to manage key grassroots activities BROOKS established including; local events such as the weekly Friday BBQ, the Autumn Fair, and local Carols.

Riverwood’s Award-winning Community BBQ continues to run for over 10 years

ROAR Residents Organisation at Riverwood celebrating establishing cherished local events at their Christmas party

Project highlights include:

Facilitated the planning and launch of the Kickstart café, a social enterprise giving unemployed youth the opportunity to gain training and employment through a skill-sharing program.
Mediated any conflict that arose through the development, to find common ground.
Created several multicultural events and festivities that celebrated the rich cultural diversity of Riverwood
Conducted thorough research and analysis into the needs of the community; Worked closely with the Riverwood Community Centre and Library to develop several social programs and local infrastructure to address specific issues regarding youth unemployment, access to support services, social exclusion, and community wellbeing.
Developed the Riverwood Community Choir, an inclusive musical community that supports members dealing with isolation and social exclusion
BROOKS produced a ‘Village Talk’ newsletter, distributed locally in Riverwood, to serve as a communications platform for sharing news and promoting local programs.